On August 8 and August 9 (2016) I was in New York to set up our consultative status designation and also look around for a possible Manhattan office. We may need this utility depending on how the U.S. presidential elections pan out. So that was what was rolling around in my head as I shopped the offices, and so with little fanfare I present to you the nominees for possible New York offices of the IAIJ-FOF Group!

Ok, there are four options open to us:

590 Madison Avenue

First is 590 Madison Avenue that I scouted late May-June. High security and average office appearance. This place reeks “business” and the secretaries are all over 45 and know their business. A real no nonsense place of business.

57 West 57 Street

Next is 57 West 57 Street which is the cheaper version of 590 Madison Avenue. Less security and a young Chinese receptionist who hid from the camera when I took a shot. Cute but the office is for younger upstarts and everything has that vibe.

1501 Broadway

1501 Broadway which is really in the middle of Times Square has this gold leaf like entrance and the offices are the drabbest design in need of a refresh. Not that I think anyone minds as this is home base to media companies it seems next to all the broadcasters there. This would sort of be a natural for us if IAIJ was not included and that is what kills the deal. To get there you have to “wade” through a "circus" of topless women and Disney characters and all the rest. Later on you deal with vagrants and travelers sleeping around while they travel on the cheap. It is certainly a hip local but I can’t bring delegates and dignitaries there!

The last one is 245 Park Avenue, the place where building security didn’t want to let me in and then after my off-colour joke about the resistance being a plus in deciding to locate our office there to thunderous laughter with the management and tenants there, broke the ice forever. They gave me their stamp of approval then and there! So with that out of the way the actual offices are the best of the bunch. The staff are young but competent. Actually everything rocks with this one. Just a very short walk from Grand Central Terminal and closer to the United Nations buildings it has the best logistics of all of them.

245 Park Avenue

In the end it is a tossup between 245 Park Avenue and 590 Madison Avenue. Since much of our gang is very young I am tending to the Park Avenue location though for me personally the quieter establishment vibe of the Madison Avenue office suits me to a tee. But Park Avenue is winning me over more and more.